Current (or traditional) legal process service is basically a manual labor-intensive operation based upon service of paper, where the method of service has remained largely unchanged for many years. When lawyers or parties initiate litigation, they generate a series of papers, take the papers to the appropriate courthouse, and file the papers with the court clerk. Once officially received and docketed, the papers are then physically delivered or “served” on any person or corporation named as a defendant or respondent in the legal action. This service is accomplished in accordance with extensive rules and procedures governing matters of how and who can serve process by mail, courier delivery, telecopy, or through a face-to-face presentation by a process server. In the case of corporations, enforceable legal documents, notices, garnishments, and writs are normally served on persons such as registered corporate agents. Process servers, marshals, constables, and sheriffs also serve subpoenas on witnesses, some of whom are not party to the legal proceeding.
Service of process is a critical action that gives a court jurisdiction over the named party or parties required to be involved with the legal proceeding. However, the current system is time consuming and expensive, due to multiple duplicated steps, inefficient workflows, and the requirement of hand delivery of papers. When service must be effected in a different geographical jurisdiction, further costs can be incurred. For example, a local process server who handles process “requests” in a particular way and using particular hardware and/or software must transfer the requests to another process server operating within the jurisdiction in which the papers are to be served. The second process server does not necessarily use the same hardware/software to process service requests as the first process server. Because there is little standardization in the industry, requests are usually transferred between process servers by transferring the requests on paper (hard copy). Thus, the first process server must physically enter a process request using the hardware/software of their system, and then arrange to transfer the request to a second process server, who then reenters the data into their hardware/software. These hardware/software systems often include proprietary features, thereby preventing integration among different process servers. The above-described system of transferring paper between process servers is cumbersome and expensive.
It would be desirable to provide a system and method for procuring service of process through an online, integrated approach capable of operating across jurisdictional boundaries. Further, it would be desirable to provide the user with access to a set of tools that permit authoring of appropriate service requests usable in other jurisdictions by, e.g., by providing customizable process requests that take into account the relevant rules, regulations, and practices in a given jurisdiction. Further, it would be desirable to use such a system in conjunction with electronic court filings (e-filings), both public and governmental.